The present invention relates generally to a direction control and propulsion system for an airship.
Airships are capable of low airspeeds right down to motionless hovering, and at such speeds must depend upon means other than rudders, ailerons and similar air-deflecting panels to control their direction and attitude in flight and hovering. One conventional method of gaining such control has been by using a propulsion unit having a propeller and propulsion motor mounted on a movable platform, the angle of the combination being variable in pitch and yaw. This can become heavy and cumbersome where a large motor is needed for high power. Another method has been to mount motor-propeller units on vertical shafts under the airship and to rotate the units on the vertical shafts. Other methods include the use of ducted propellers with deflectors to change the angle of thrust, and ducting within the gas envelope to direct thrust to outlets placed at desired locations on the surface of the envelope. Various drawbacks to these apparatuses and methods include high cost, low efficiency and potentially high maintenance efforts.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantages.